Carriage for waste disposal bags and the like

ABSTRACT

New and improved carriage for waste disposal bags and the like is provided and comprises a readily collapsible, generally upstanding scissor-like frame, handle and support means disposed generally atop said frame, wheel means attached to said frame to provide for the maneuverability of the carriage, bag attachment means removably attached to said handle and support means and operative to removably attach a bag thereto, and bag support means attached to said handle and support means and to said frame means adjacent to and beneath said bag attachment means to support a bag from said frame means.

United States Patent Stevens et a1.

[451 May 30, 1972 [54] CARRIAGE FOR WASTE DISPOSAL BAGS AND THE LIKE [72] Inventors: David Stevens, 768 Sherman Avenue, Thornwood, NY. 10594; Donald Z. Blau, 21 Carrol Street, City Island, N.Y. 10464 [22] Filed: July 17, 1970 [21] App1.No.: 55,903

[52] US. Cl. ..280/36 R, 280/36 C [51] Int. Cl ..B62b 11/00 [58] Field ofSearch.... ..248/98, 97; 280/36 C, 36 R,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,140,199 12/ 1 938 Constantine ..248/98 717,044 12/1902 Steel ..248/78 Wilson ..248/98 Lankford ..280/42 Primary Examiner-Benjamin Hersh Assistant ExaminerRobert R. Song Attorney-James J. Romano, Jr.

[5 7] ABSTRACT New and improved carriage for waste disposal bags and the like is provided and comprises a readily collapsible, generally upstanding scissor-like frame, handle and support means disposed generally atop said frame, wheel means attached to said frame to provide for the maneuverability of the carriage, bag attachment means removably attached to said handle and support means and operative to removably attach a bag thereto, and bag support means attached to said handle and support means and to said frame means adjacent to and beneath said bag attachment means to support a bag from said frame means.

5 Claims, 2 Drawing figures PATENTEDMAYEOIQYZ 3.666.283

SHEET 1 BF 2 INVENTORS DAVID STEVENS DONA 0 z. BLAU BY 3 I I KZ'TORNEY PATENTEDMAYBO m2 3.666.283

SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTORS DAVID STEVENS Y DONAL Z.BLAU

ATTORNEY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a new and improved carriage which is particularly adapted to the support of waste disposal bags in the nature of large plastic waste disposal bags in the like.

2. Description of the Prior Art Although a large and rapidly growing market currently exists for the use of large plastic waste disposal bags for the collection and disposal of rubbish and garden waste and the like, it may be understood that no truly satisfactory bag carriage or support means are currently available to render such use of these large plastic bags truly convenient. More specifically, it may be understood that many of the bag carriage or support means of the prior art do not include means to maintain the bag open with resultant inconvenience of bag utilization as should be obvious. Too, many of the prior art bag carriage or support means or the like are not readily maneuverable whereby handling of the carriage or support means with a fully loaded bag which may, of course, be quite heavy, supported therefrom, is rendered particularly difiicult. In addition, many of the prior art bag support or carriage means require the removal of the relatively heavy, fully loaded bag from the top of the bag carriage or support means to thus render this task unduly difficult. T00, and although some of the prior art bag support or carriage means do include means to retain the bag open during use, it may be understood that none is known wherein said means which retain the bag open are readily removable from the carriage or support means with the bag to thus render much more convenient utilization of the bag independently of the bag carriage or support means. Further, many of the prior art bag carriage or support means will be found to be of particularly flimsy construction to thus result in the need for constant maintenance thereof and/or a relatively short useful life therefor. A still further and particularly significant disadvantage of many of the bag support and carriage means of the prior art resides in the fact that the same are not readily and conveniently foldable or collapsible when not in use to thus present a particularly bulky article for storage.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a new and improved carriage for waste disposal bags and the like which is readily and conveniently maneuverable, and which functions to support even a fully loaded bag well above ground level at all times to thus provide for significant carriage maneuverability with minimum effort.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a carriage as above which, through the functioning thereof to at all times support even a fully loaded bag well about ground level, will minimize, if not eliminate, the problem of bag tearing or snagging or the like.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a carriage as above including bag attachment means which function to maintain the bag open at all times to obvious advantage, and which are further readily removable from the carriage with the bag still fixedly attached thereto to render most convenient any utilization of the bag independently of the carriage.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a carriage as above which is readily and conveniently collapsible to thus enable the storage thereof with minimum space requirements.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a carriage as above which is of particularly sturdy construction and which requires the use of only readily available materials of proven dependability in the fabrication thereof to thus provide for very long periods of satisfactory, maintenance-free bag support operation.

SUMMARY or THE DISCLOSURE As disclosed herein, the new and improved carriage for waste disposal bags and the like comprises a collapsible scissor-like frame of sturdy, tubular construction. Bag attachment means which take the form of a bag attachment collar are readily and conveniently attachable to and removable from said frame and function to securely attach the bag to the frame and maintain the same open. Bag support means are provided and are operatively associated with said frame in such manner as to at all times support even a fully loaded bag well above ground level to prevent tearing or snagging of the bag. A wheel assembly and carriage handle means complete the bag support carriage and, in conjunction with the bag support means which maintain the bag above ground level, enable the ready and convenient maneuverability of the bag support carriage to thus minimize the effort required for the handling of even a fully loaded bag. The fact that the bag attachment colla: is readily removable from the carriage functions to enable the most advantageous use thereof with a waste disposal bag independently of the carriage to maintain the bag open and render particularly convenient the handling thereof under such conditions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects and significant advantages of this invention are believed made clear by the following detailed description thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a new and improved carriage for waste disposal bags and the like constructed and operative in accordance with the teachings of this invention and depicted in the open or operative position thereof; and

FIG. 2 is a side plan view of the carriage of FIG. 1 in the collapsed or folded position thereof for convenient carriage storage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, new and improved carriage for waste disposal bags and the like constructed and operative in accordance with the teachings of this invention is indicated generally at 10 and may be seen to comprise a readily collapsible, scissor-like frame as indicated generally at 12, bag attachment means as indicated generally at 14, bag support means as indicated generally at 16, handle and support means as indicated generally at 18, and a wheel assembly for maneuverability as indicated generally at 20, respectively.

The frame 12 comprises a generally U-shaped tubular member as indicated at 22, the base portion 24 of which functions as a rest for the forward portion of the carriage 10 as explained in greater detail hereinbelow. Generally straight tubular members are indicated at 26 and 28 and are respectively pivotally connected as shown to the generally U-shaped tubular member 22 adjacent the respective extremities of the latter by pivotal attachment means as respectively indicated at 30 and 32 and which may, for example, comprise Esna nuts to eliminate the need for lock washers.

Support struts are indicated at 31 and 33 and are pivotally connected as shown to the respective tubular frame members 26 and 28 by pivotal attachment means 35 and 37. Support struts are also indicated at 39 and 41 and are respectively pivotally connected as shown to the legs of tubular frame member 22 by pivotal attachment means 43 and 45. Conventional hinge lock mechanisms are indicated at 47 and 49 and function respectively to pivotally connect the support struts 39 and 31, and the support struts 41 and 33 in such manner that pivotal movement therebetween is made possible only in the upward direction as should be obvious. Thus the extent to which the respective tubular frame members 22, 26 and 28 may be spread apart is, in any event, fixed by the combined effective lengths of the support struts 39 and 31 and the support struts 41 and 33.

Further included in the scissor-like frame 12 are support struts 34 and 36 which are pivotally attached as shown adjacent the respective tubular members 22, 26, and 28 by the pivotal attachment means 30 and 32. Support struts are also indicated at 38 and 40 and are pivotally attached as shown adjacent the respective lower extremities thereof to the support struts 34 and 36 adjacent the respective upper extremities of the latter by pivotal attachment means 42 and 44. Slidable support strut locking members are indicated at 46 and 48 and are respectively slidable on the support struts 38 downwardly into the depicted operative positions thereof to fixedly lock and positively prevent any pivotal movement between the sup port struts 34 and 38 and the support struts 36 and 40. Said hinge lock mechanisms 46 and 48 are slidable upwardly on the respective support struts 38 and 40 in obvious manner to enable such pivotal movement for the collapsing or folding of the scissor-like frame 12 as described in greater detail hereinbelow.

Referring now to the handle and support means 18, the same may be seen to comprise a generally U-shaped tubular handle and support member 50 having the base 52 and adjacent leg portions thereof bent downwardly as shown to function as a carriage handle in obvious manner. The respective tubular frame members 26 and 28 are pivotally attached as shown adjacent the respective upper extremities thereof to the generally U-shaped tubular handle and support member 50 adjacent the respective extremities of the latter by pivotal attachment means as indicated at 54 and 56, respectively. The support strut 38 is pivotally attached as shown adjacent the upper extremity thereof to the tubular handle and support member 50 by pivotal attachment means as indicated at 58, while the support strut 40 is similarly pivotally attached adjacent the upper extremity thereof to said tubular handle and support member 50 as shown by pivotal attachment means as indicated at 60. Teflon washers may, if desired, be utilized at some or all of the described points of pivotal attachment for obvious purpose.

Referring now to the bag attachment means 14, the same may be seen to comprise a bag attachment collar 62 having a generally circulr bag mounting aperture 64 extending therethrough, and comprising collar mounting flanges formed as indicated at 66, 68 and 70 at the respective side and rear surfaces thereof. A generally frusto-conical lip portion 72 is formed as shown to project upwardly from the bag attachment collar 62 to surround the bag mounting aperture 64. A bag attachment collar support and locating rod is indicated at 74 and extends as shown for support between the adjacent leg portion of the tubular handle and support member 50.

The bag attachment collar 62 is supported as shown, in readily and conveniently removable manner, from the respective leg portions of the tubular handle and support member 50 and the bag attachment collar support and locating rod 74. More specifically, it may be seen that the inwardly bent bag attachment collar mounting flange 68 fits over said bag attachment collar support and locating rod 74 in such manner as to support said collar therefrom and prevent forward movement of the same. The bag attachment collar mounting flange 66 fits over the adjacent leg portions of the tubular handle and support member 50 and said mounting flange includes a holding notch 76 formed therein as shown. A holding pin is indicated at 78 and extends outwardly as shown from the relevant leg portion of the tubular handle and support member 50 into said holding pin slot 76 to thereby prevent rearward movement of the bag attachment collar 62 relative to said tubular member leg portion. In like manner, it may be understood that the bag attachment collar mounting flange 70 includes a non-illustrated holding pin slot and that the relevant leg portion of the tubular handle and support member 50 includes a non-illustrated holding pin for operative association with said slot to further fixedly position said bag attachment collar relative to said tubular handle member.

Further included in the bag attachment means 14 is a bag retainer ring 75 comprising a length 77 of any suitable material in the nature, for example, of readily available inexpensive plastic garden hose which is bent as shown into generally circular form, and a tension spring 79 which is attached as shown to the respective hose extremities to thereby form the bag retainer ring therewith. Since the tension spring 79 is, of course, readily stretchable, it may be understood that the bag holding ring may readily be secured and removed from the bag attachment collar lip 72 by the simple stretching of the ring and the movement thereof around the periphery of said lip. Alternatively, a simple elastic band or the like may be substituted for the bag retainer ring.

Referring now to the bag support means 16, the same may be seen to comprise a support rod 80 which extends as shown for support between the respective leg portions of the tubular frame member 22. A bag support web is indicated at 82 and may, for example, be formed from any readily available, relatively inexpensive non-rigid material of suitable strength and durability characteristics in the nature, for example, of an appropriate plastic. The bag support web 82 is supported as shown from the respective support rods 74 and 80 by the simple wrapping of the relevant end portions of said bag support web around said support rod as shown. Bag support web attachment means which may, for example, take the form of inexpensive attachment members in the nature of snaps or rivets, or simple stitching, are indicated at 84 and may be understood to be operative to attach the respective bag support web bands together and to attach said bag support web to the respective support rods 74 and 80 as described.

Referring now to the wheel assembly 20, the same may be seen to comprise a spreader rod 86 which extends as shown between the respective tubular frame members 26 and 28 to maintain the desired spacing therebetween in obvious manner. An axle is indicated at 88 and extends as shown through the respective lower extremities of the tubular frame member 26 and 28. Carriage wheels are indicated at 90 and 92 and are, of course, mounted for rotation in conventional manner on said axle 88.

In use, for example, for the truly convenient and readily maneuverable Support of a large plastic bag for purposes of garden waste and/or rubbish collection and disposal, it may be understood that the bag retainer ring 75 would be removed as described from the bag attachment collar 62 and that the large plastic bag as indicated in phantom at 94 would be inserted as shown through the bag mounting aperture 64 with the bag edge or top portion as indicated at 96 being bent over said bag attachment collar in obvious manner. Following this, said bag retainer ring 75 would, of course, be reinserted over said bent over bag edge or top portion into the depicted operative position thereof relative to the outer surface of the bag retainer lip 72 to thus fixedly secure the said bag to the said bag attachment collar under the effects of the bag retainer ring ten sion spring 79 as should be obvious. As a result, the bag will be retained open to obvious advantage.

Following this, the carriage 10 of the invention would, of course, be ready for use in the collection, for example, of rubbish or garden waste in the nature of cut grass, leaves and the like, and it is believed clear that as such waste is inserted into the opening in the bag the same will fall to the bottom thereof whereupon the bag will rest firmly upon the bag support web 82 and be securely supported thereby above ground level. The movement of the carriage to any desired location during the waste collection process may, of course, be readily and conveniently effected, despite the fact that the overall weight thereof may increase considerably as a result of bag loading, by the simple manual grasping of the handle 52 and the slight tilting of the carriage backward until the base portion 24 of the tubular frame member 22 has cleared the ground whereupon the carriage may be conveniently maneuvered to any desired location thereof by rolling on the carriage wheels 90 and 92. In the event that obstacles in the nature, for example, of rods or small bushes or the like are in the desired path of movement of the carriage, it may be understood that the height thereof above the ground may be conveniently increased, up to the height of the axle 88 above the ground, by the simple expedient of the further tilting of said carriage in the backward direction. The bag support web 82 will, in any event, function at all times to maintain the bottom of the bag 94 securely supported well above ground level to thus prevent tearing or snagging of the latter. Too, the fact that said support web is of a non-rigid material will provide for an advantageous aspect of carriage versatility in that the same will enable the satisfactory support by the carriage of bags which vary in length throughout a reasonable range.

After the bag 94 has been filled, the removal of the same from the carriage of the invention may be readily and conveniently effected by the simple removal of the bag attachment collar 62 from the carriage. More specifically, it may be understood that this collar removal may be effected by the simple pulling of said collar in the forward direction against the natural resiliency of the support rod 74 until such time as the collar holding notch 76 in the collar mounting flange 66 and the non-illustrated collar holding notch in the collar mounting flange 70 have cleared the respective locking pin 78 and the non-illustrated locking pin, whereupon the filled bag 94 may be readily and conveniently removed from the carriage 10 through the simple handling of said bag attachment collar as should be obvious.

Removal of the bag 94 from the bag attachment collar 62 may be readily and conveniently effected by the simple removal of the bag retaining ring 75 from said collar, and the disposal of the bag as desired. Alternatively, said bag may, of course, be emptied by the simple turning over thereof and reused as described by the re-attachment of the bag attachment collar 62 to the carriage 10.

A particular advantage of the provision as described of the readily removable bag attachment collar 62 is believed the fact that there are no obstructions at the front of the carriage 10 to thus minimize the amount of lifting of the loaded bag 94 from said carriage. A further advantage of the provision as described of the readily removable bag attachment collar 62 resides in the fact that the same may, of course, be utilized independently of the carriage 10 to maintain the bag open for use, for example, for the raking of leaves into the bag with one edge of the collar maintained at ground level, or for use of the bag in those areas wherein the use of the entire carriage is rendered impossible or impracticable. For such use, it is believed clear that the bag would be attached to the bag attachment collar 62 as described with the latter functioning to maintain the bag open and to provide for the ready and convenient handling thereof.

Following use as described of the carriage 10 of the invention, the same may be readily and conveniently folded as depicted in FIG. 2 into a compact and readily maneuverable unit for convenient storage thereof with a minimum space requirement. More specifically, it may be understood that such folding may be effected by the removal as described of the bag attachment collar 62 from the carriage, the upward movement of the respective locking members 46 and 48 on the respective struts 38 and 40 and the folding of the carriage by the pivoting of the respective components thereof about the pivotal attachment means 30, 32, 37, 35, 42, 44, 43, 45, 58 and 60, and the hinge lock mechanisms 47 and 49, respectively. Following this, the bag attachment collar 62 may, if desired, be hung from the support rod 74 as shown for convenient storage with the now folded support carriage 10 of the invention. Movement of the support carriage, even in the folded condition thereof of FIG. 2, may again be readily and conveniently effected by the rolling thereof on the wheels 90 and 92 in obvious manner.

Preferably, the respective tubular frame members, support struts, support rods, and tubular handle and support member are made from any readily available, relatively inexpensive material of suitable strength and corrosion-resistant characteristics in the nature, for example, of commercial grade aluminum as is commonly used for lawn furniture and the like, although it is believed clear that a wide variety of other and different materials may be utilized in the fabrication of these components. The bag attachment collar is preferably made from a more readily formable material in the nature of galvenized sheet steel which is, of course, suitably corrosion-resistant, although it is again believed clear that a wide variety of other and different materials may be utilized in the fabrication of this component. The carriage wheels are preferably made from plastic due to the low cost thereof, although other materials in the nature of rubber or the like may of course be utilized for this purpose.

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described, and that certain changes in the form and arrangement of parts and in the specific manner of practicing the invention may be made without departing from the underlying idea or principles of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A carriage for the support of waste disposal bags and the like comprising, generally upstanding scissor-like frame means, handle and support means pivotally attached to said frame means generally atop the latter, wheel means attached to said frame means adjacent the bottom thereof to provide for the maneuverability of said carriage, bag attachment means removably attached to said handle and support means and being operable to removably attach a bag thereto, and bag support means attached to said frame means adjacent the lower portion thereof, and attached to said handle and support means, and being operable to extend generally below said bag attachment means to support a bag from said frame means in such manner that the former is always maintained above ground level to thus prevent tearing or snagging of said bag, said frame means comprising a generally U-shaped member fonning a lower portion thereof, said handle and support means comprising a generally U-shaped member which is disposed generally atop said frame means, said bag support means comprising a support rod extending between the respective leg portions of said generally U-shaped frame member and a support rod extending between the respective leg portions of said generally U-shaped handle and support member, and a web of non-rigid material which extends between said support rods generally below said bag attachment collar.

2. In a carriage as in claim 1 wherein, said bag attachment means comprise a bag attachment collar which is supported in readily removable manner by said handle and support means, and means to attach said bag to said bag attachment means in readily removable manner, said bag attachment collar being effective to maintain said bag open even upon removal thereof from said carriage, said bag attachment collar comprises a generally circular opening extending therethrough of diameter which is generally the same as the diameter of an open bag, lip means surrounding said opening and projecting upwardly therefrom, and said means to readily removably attach said bag to said bag attachment collar comprise readily stretchable means which are effective to be stretched and placed around said lip means over said bag means to firmly press the latter against said lip means.

3. In a carriage as in claim 2 wherein, said frame means are of readily collapsible construction to enable the collapsing thereof for convenient carriage storage, and said frame means comprise locking means to prevent the collapsing thereof during use of said carriage.

4. In a carriage as in claim 1 wherein, said bag attachment collar having at least three side portions and comprising attachment flanges which respectively extend generally downwardly therefrom over the respective leg portions of said generally U-shaped handle and support member, and said support rod which extends therebetween, to support said collar from said leg portions and said support rod.

5. A carriage for the support of waste disposal bags and the like comprising, generally upstanding scissor-like frame means, handle and support means pivotally attached to said frame means generally atop the latter, wheel means attached to said frame mean adjacent the bottom thereof to provide for the maneuverability of said carriage, bag attachment means removably attached to said handle and support means and being operable to removably attach a bag thereto, and bag support means attached to said frame means adjacent the lower portion thereof, and attached to said handle and support means, and being operable to extend generally below said bag attachment means to support a bag from said frame means in such manner that the former is always maintained above ground level to thus prevent tearing or snagging of said bag, said bag attachment means comprising a bag attachment collar which is supported in readily removable manner by said handle and support means, and means to attach said bag to said bag attachment means in readily removable manner, said bag attachment collar being effective to maintain said bag open even upon removal therefrom from said carriage, said bag attachment collar comprising a generally flat surface which is supported in generally horizontal manner on said carriage and which has a bag access opening extending therethrough, lip means surrounding said opening and extending generally upwardly and outwardly from said flat surface, and said means to readily removably attach said bag to said bag attachment collar comprising readily stretchable means which are effective to be stretched and placed around said lip means over said bag means to firmly press the latter against the underside of said lip means to thereby firmly attach said bag to said collar.

* il I! I 

1. A carriage for the support of waste disposal bags and the like comprising, generally upstanding scissor-like frame means, handle and support means pivotally attached to said frame means generally atop the latter, wheel means attached to said frame means adjacent the bottom thereof to provide for the maneuverability of said carriage, bag attachment means removably attached to said handle and support means and being operable to removably attach a bag thereto, and bag support means attached to said frame means adjacent the lower portion thereof, and attached to said handle and support means, and being operable to extend generally below said bag attachment means to support a bag from said frame means in such manner that the former is always maintained above ground level to thus prevent tearing or snagging of said bag, said frame means comprising a generally U-shaped member forming a lower portion thereof, said handle and support means comprising a generally U-shaped member which is disposed generally atop said frame means, said bag support means comprising a support rod extending between the respective leg portions of said generally U-shaped frame member and a support rod extending between the respective leg portions of said generally U-shaped handle and support member, and a web of nonrigid material which extends between said support rods generally below said bag attachment collar.
 2. In a carriage as in claim 1 wherein, said bag attachment means comprise a bag attachment collar which is supported in readily removable manner by said handle and support means, and means to attach said bag to said bag attachment means in readily removable manner, said bag attachment collar being effective to maintain said bag open even upon removal thereof from said carriage, said bag attachment collar comprises a generally circular opening extending therethrough of diameter which is generally the same as the diameter of an open bag, lip means surrounding said opening and projecting upwardly therefrom, and said means to readily removably attach said bag to said bag attachment collar comprise readily stretchable means which are effective to be stretched and placed around said lip means over said bag means to firmly press the latter against said lip means.
 3. In a carriage as in claim 2 wherein, said frame means are of readily collapsible construction to enable the collapsing thereof for convenient carriage storage, and said frame means comprise locking means to prevent the collapsing thereof during use of said carriage.
 4. In a carriage as in claim 1 wherein, said bag attachment collar having at least three side portions and comprising attachment flanges which respectively extend generally downwardly therefrom over the respective leg portions of said generally U-shaped handle and support member, and said support rod which extends therebetween, to support said collar from said leg portions and said support rod.
 5. A carriage for the support of waste disposal bags and the like comprising, generally upstanding scissor-like frame means, handle and support means pivotally attached to said frame means generally atop the latter, wheel means attached to said frame mean adjacent the bottom thereof to provide for the maneuverability of said carriage, bag attachment means removably attached to said handle and support means and being operable to removably attach a bag thereto, and bag support means attached to said frame means adjacent the lower portion thereof, and attached to said handle and support means, and being operable to extend generally below said bag attachment means to support a bag from said frame means in such manner that the former is always maintained above ground level to thus prevent tearing or snagging of said bag, said bag attachment means comprising a bag attachment collar which is supported in readily removable manner by said handle and support means, and means to attach said bag to said bag attachment means in readily removable manner, said bag attachment collar being effective to maintain said bag open even upon removal therefrom from said carriage, said bag attachment collar comprising a generally flat surface which is supported in generally horizontal manner on said carriage and which has a bag access opening extending therethrough, lip means surrounding said opening and extending generally upwardly and outwardly from said flat surface, and said means to readily removably attach said bag to said bag attachment collar comprising readily stretchable means which are effective to be stretched and placed around said lip means over said bag means to firmly press the latter against the underside of said lip means to thereby firmly attach said bag to said collar. 